Maryland Man Indicted on Federal Charges for Traveling to Engage in Illicit Sexual Conduct with a Minor

            WASHINGTON – Nathaniel Lamar Nelson Scott, 35, of Bowie, Maryland, was indicted today by a federal grand jury on charges of traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            According to the indictment, unsealed today, on June 5, 2024, Scott traveled into the District of Columbia from Maryland with a motivating purpose of engaging in a sexual act with a six-year-old child.

            In late May 2024, a member of the MPD–FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force posted a message on a website that is frequented by individuals who have a sexual interest in children. Scott contacted the undercover officer, who he believed was the father of a six-year-old girl, and in the days that followed engaged in graphic conversations about sexually abusing the child. On June 5, 2024, Scott arranged with the undercover officer to meet for the purpose of engaging in sexual acts with the child. He traveled from Maryland to a pre-arranged meeting place in Washington, D.C., and was arrested. Scott has remained in custody since his arrest.

            Travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct is punishable by up to 30 years’ imprisonment. The statutory sentences for federal offenses are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes. Any sentence will be determined by the Court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

            This case is being brought as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood initiative and investigated by the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes members of the FBI’s Washington Field Office and MPD. In February 2006, the Attorney General created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

            This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. The task force is composed of FBI agents, along with other federal agents and detectives from northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. The task force is charged with investigating and bringing federal charges against individuals engaged in the exploitation of children and those engaged in human trafficking.

            The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul V. Courtney.

            An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.